Apple Business User Guide
- Welcome
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- Intro to Configurations
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- AirDrop configuration
- AirPlay configuration
- AirPrint configuration
- App Access configuration
- Apple Intelligence & Siri configuration
- Application Layer Firewall configuration
- Certificate configuration
- Content Caching configuration
- Custom configuration
- Data Management configuration
- Energy Saver configuration
- FileVault configuration
- Gatekeeper configuration
- iCloud configuration
- Lock Screen configuration
- Password and Screen Unlock configuration
- Software Update configuration
- VPN configuration
- Web Clip configuration
- Web Filter configuration
- Wi-Fi configuration
- Edit a configuration
- Apply Blueprints
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- Glossary
- Document revision history
- Copyright and trademarks

Create an Application Layer Firewall configuration in Apple Business
You use the Application Layer Firewall configuration to turn on the firewall in macOS to prevent unwanted connections from the internet or other networks. A Mac can still allow access through the firewall for some services and apps. For example:
If you turn on a sharing service, such as file sharing, macOS opens a specific port for the service to communicate through.
An app or service on another system can request and be given access through the firewall, or it might have a trusted certificate and therefore be allowed access.
Note: The Application Layer Firewall configuration doesn’t affect Mac computers enrolled as personal devices.
In Apple Business, sign in with a user whose role has permissions to create, edit, and delete device configurations.
To view roles and permissions, see Intro to roles and permissions.
In your browser, choose Devices > Configurations > All Configurations.
Select All Configurations, select Add
next to Application Layer Firewall
, then enter a name for the configuration.Do one or both of the following:
Block all incoming connections: This option blocks all incoming connections except those required for basic network and internet services, such as DHCP, Bonjour, and IPsec. This also prevents connections to all other sharing services.
Stealth mode: This option prevents a Mac from responding to probing requests that can be used to reveal its existence. The Mac still answers requests from authorized apps, but unauthorized requests such as ICMP (ping) get no response.
Select Save.